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Features

Happy birthday to you!

In our regular Sunday feature, FIFA.com presents you with some of the biggest names from Planet Football who will be celebrating their birthdays over the coming week.

14. Jared Borgetti (38) is a popular figure in his native Mexico thanks to his many years of sterling service for the national team. The striker found the net twice at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, including a memorable header past Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and returned to the global stage to contest Germany 2006. He helped Mexico win the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup in between those tournaments, and also appeared at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2005, hitting the winning goal against Brazil in the latter edition before slipping two past Germany in the match for third place. In the club game, Borgetti spent the majority of his career on home soil, enjoying a reputation as a talented marksman and twice being voted Mexican Player of the Year. He represented just two clubs overseas, turning out for Bolton Wanderers in England and Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad.

15. Boudewijn Zenden (35) deserves to be classed alongside some of the biggest names to have rolled off the Dutch production line. The two-footed midfielder has enjoyed particular success operating on the right, where his bursts of pace have caused damage to innumerable opposition defences. He has amassed a solid list of medals down the years and enjoyed spells with some of the most illustrious clubs in European football, including PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Marseille. In the orange of the Netherlands, he featured at the 1998 FIFA World Cup France, where his team eventually finished fourth after losing to Brazil on penalties in the semi-finals. Zenden and Co likewise reached the last four at UEFA EURO 2000, missing out on the showpiece following another spot-kick exit.

16. Roque Santa Cruz (30) has experienced extreme highs and lows already this year, having glimpsed the apex of the South American game as Paraguay made surprise progress to the Copa America final. It was a historic run for La Albirojja, but their dreams of glory were ultimately extinguished by Uruguay in the decider. A longstanding regular for his national side, Santa Cruz has participated in three FIFA World Cups, notching one strike in 12 games, while his trio of Copa America campaigns have yielded seven goals. On the club stage, the Paraguayan predator notably spent eight seasons with Bayern Munich, winning numerous domestic and European honours.

17. Thierry Henry (34) shot to stardom at a young age when he helped France triumph at the 1998 FIFA World Cup while still finding his feet in the game. Two years later, he bolstered his reputation as Les Bleus added the continental title at EURO 2000. On the professional stage, Henry is remembered as a legend at Arsenal, where he won two Premier League crowns and three FA Cups after joining from Juventus, but it was with Barcelona that the titles truly flowed. The striker lifted the UEFA Champions League while in Catalonia, as well as the Liga and Copa del Rey, and under coach Josep Guardiola he clinched a historic six trophies in 2009. After three seasons at the Camp Nou, Henry opted for a new adventure on North American soil by signing with the New York Red Bulls.

18. Esteban Cambiasso (31) is rightly regarded as one of the most capable defensive midfielders on the planet, but the talented performer can also be a dangerous presence going forward. After breaking into the game at Independiente, the left-footed holding player took his gifts to River Plate, and from there he joined Real Madrid, before making the switch to Inter Milan in 2004. His spell in in Serie A has proved his most rewarding, with the five winners’ medals picked up in 2010 an obvious highlight. For Argentina, Cambiasso played his part at Germany 2006, finishing a goal against Serbia and Montenegro considered by many to be one of the finest ever scored in the competition. He has likewise graced two editions of the Copa America, with La Albiceleste losing out to Brazil in the 2007 showpiece and exiting the competition in the quarter-finals last month.

19. Roberto Abbondanzieri (39) carved out an excellent career as a goalkeeper, tasting Argentinian championship and Copa Libertadores success on several occasions with Boca Juniors, where he also won a pair of Intercontinental Cups. The Argentinian custodian proved a hit with Getafe in Spain too, notably shining in the UEFA Cup, and he added another Copa Libertadores title with Brazilian outfit Internacional last year, opening the door to a tilt at the FIFA Club World Cup.

20. Giuseppe Giannini (47) was an iconic figure for Roma, where he played a frontline role in putting I Giallorossi back on the map thanks to their 1982/83 Scudetto win – only the club’s second ever league triumph and their first in 41 years. The attacking midfielder also lifted the Coppa Italia three times during his stint in the capital, after which he took in brief spells at Sturm Graz in Austria, Napoli and, lastly, Lecce. With Italy, Giannini contested EURO 1988 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup, helping the hosts finish third. Since retiring, he has turned his hand to coaching and overseen a number of teams in Italy’s lower leagues.